Craft time again...

I spent this last week and weekend at Jess's house in Devils Lake. I think we spent most the week doing some craft projects for the upcoming Halloween/Thanksgiving seasons. She sent me this link for a NO SEW runner, which I decided to make for the top of my piano. You basically cut the fabric to size and then iron bias tape (with heat bond) to both sides of the fabric. It was super easy and turned out sooooo cute and professional looking! :) I also tackled a Fall apron, curtesy of a pattern that Jess and I had reverse-engineered the last time I visited. I had an awesome time visiting and enjoyed our girl time together! We need to do that more often as I miss our crafting adventures, diet cokes, and junk food! :)

The end of deck season

As of today, I have officially accepted that it is now Fall. Mav and I did manage to have our family BBQ/deck party/early birthday party this last Saturday and it turned out to be a decent day given the change in season. The sun did make an appearance for Saturday and the temperature reached 55 degrees despite the ice and snow on the ground from the day before. We had a house full of family and had a really great afternoon eating, laughing, and enjoying the sun. Judy and Steve, Kelly and Mal, Jessie and Patrick, and my mom and dad all stayed with us on Saturday night. I loved loved loved having everyone under one roof and we all had fun just keeping each other company, trying to finish off the leftovers, and playing the wii. Here are just a couple of pics from the party. I was basically running around like a maniac trying to make sure everything was going ok (and it was, it was just me trying to be PERFECT) so I didn't get too many snapshots.

THANK YOU to everyone who came and graced us with your presence! We are blessed to have you all in our lives!

FAMILY BBQ

This is for all the family members that may have missed out on the calls, emails, and grapevine!!! :) Mav and I are having a family BBQ on Saturday, September 18 at 1:00 pm MT. We would love to have you there to help us celebrate the completion of our biggest project this summer - the deck - and to also help us celebrate Mav's 30th birthday!! (the real 3-0 is on Oct 16) Celebrating with family will be a great way to spend one of the last weekends of the summer!

MBA

This fall Mav has decided to go back to school. He is going to be attending U of Mary ONLINE to complete his MBA. He actually had his first day yesterday and is already hard at work reading and studying. This accelerated MBA course spans 18 months and requires that he finish each class one at a time, sometimes only spending a couple weeks on a class. I know he will do great and I hope that these next 18 months just fly by!

CONGRATULATIONS Mav!

Mav has been working so hard these last two months training to compete in a triathlon. The triathlon was this Sunday in Mandan on THE hottest day of the year (for real, it was like 95 degrees by 11:30 am). He participated in the Sprint race, which included swimming 500 meters, biking 13 miles, and running 5k. He did AMAZING! Out of 23 individuals who completed the sprint race, he finished 9th!!! I am so proud of all his hard work and dedication and am inspired by his ability to tackle anything he sets his mind to!

6 kids, 4 adults, 2 dogs...All in one house

This past Thursday and Friday, Mav and I had a full house. Judy, Steph, and all our nieces and nephews came for a short visit. The plan WAS to swim at the new pool here but for some reason it was closed (how on earth they decided to close it on the two hottest days of the summer is beyond my comprehension). We improvised and headed out to Beulah Bay Thursday afternoon. We played on the beach and in the cold water. The kids all seemed to have a really fun time and Mav and I even waded in. I forgot my camera but managed to take some pics of Cole, Jas, and Brielle playing in the sandbox at home. YES the sandbox was finally put to use!! We had awesome (hot) weather those two days and spent equal parts playing outside in the water and then soaking up air conditioning. It was a hectic two days but we love when they come to visit!

Deck Finale

OK, so here are some final final final project pictures of our deck. We finished staining it last week and are soooo glad to have that done! I may be a little more ecstatic about this as I have decided that I loathe staining. Moving on - I finished the canvas panels for above the pergola (to provide some additional shade) and we have installed solar lights on the deck steps and on the pergola for some night ambience. We absolutely love it and can't wait to just enjoy our new outdoor space!!! Oh and you know I couldn't resist throwing in a pic of the boys enjoying the new deck.

FAMILY and FRIENDS

My mom, sister, and I went to this beautiful resort in Minnesota this past weekend. We went for two days and were able to totally relax and do whatever we wanted. We had a SPA afternoon on Saturday and all had a hot stone message. It was heavenly!!!! That same night we took a pontoon ride on the lake to a nearby restaurant and had a supurb meal at Sherwood Forest. They had this awesome candy/ice cream shop on the grounds and we visited that quite a few times!!! To make up for the sweets, we all three did Yoga on the beach one morning. It was a weekend I will never forget and it made it so special that my mom and sister and I could spend it together!!!
I also threw in a couple of family pics from the family reunion and a pic from my class reunion. Both were a lot of fun and it was nice to have everyone in the same place for once!!

How to sink a ship

Last weekend was probably one of the busiest this summer SO FAR. Here are the top four reasons why we went home (in no particular order):
1. Jenny's 10 year class reunion
2. Jenny's BJELLA family reunion
3. 4th of July
4. Dad's Battleship blow up
Add to that visiting Mav's family, the kids, friends, and all the travel back and forth between our two houses there and it made for quite the hectic but FABULOUSLY FUN visit!
So here are some pics of the boats that my dad, uncle, and brother made and brought to the war this year (to be fair, Gary's is the rejuvinated-with-duct-tape boat from last year). Other pics of the family reunion and class reunion to come but I ran out of steam just downloading the 250 pics from the boat battle.

The Crazy (Picture) Accident

Last night we were on the edge of a huge lightening/thunder storm. I don't think it directly hit us but the lightening was spectacular! The sky was constantly lit up and every once in a while you would catch these serious lightening bolts. My camera happened to be sitting on the bench next to the door and I decided to try and take some pictures. I thought I probably wouldn't get anything as I don't have a tripod and I didn't want to actually venture outside. I think I set my camera to some crazy settings, all hoping that I could get the fastest shutter speed possible...which still seemed like eternity. I clicked this one and had been holding my camera "steady" for aforementioned eternity and this lightening bolt happened just at the right time. I could not believe that I actually captured it!!! It is far from an award winning picture but I think the subject is so amazing and powerful and rarely do you get the chance to see it in a snapshot! Look at the sizzle!!!!